On Roleplay

Oh hey! Greetings to all, far and wide; I am the roleplayer known by the handle of 'Dyna', and I've been RPing since I thought horses were the best thing ever.

I've been passionate about RP since I first discovered forums were a thing that existed, and it is my belief that roleplay has the potential to develop into an amalgam of art and community that is accessible to all in a variety of levels. Just as video games are only now beginning to be seen as a serious medium for storytelling with artistic merit, the simple act of cooperative storytelling is a powerful concept which has made possible on a large scale by the development of the world wide web.

For now, roleplay is a quiet thing with a great deal of stigma attached - if you haven't heard of it, you may think it is a bedroom act between two bored adults, or a series of spreadsheets and dice rolls pored over by sweating adolescent nerds. While both of these things can certainly fall under the purview of roleplay, it can be - and is - so much more, to so many.

In today's society, where creation and consumption of media has been made so much more readily accessible than in any previous generation, roleplay becomes both, simultaneously. Roleplay is an act of giving and taking, of creating an elaborate tapestry of stories, woven with very little regard to the traditional rules of how stories should be told.

We represent a vast and only partially explored wilderness of creation. We are at the forefront of what very well might be a revolution in artistic expression, tailored to each individual in a way that every roleplayer's experience is uniquely based on their own input. What other medium can possibly compete?

This phenomena is not without its pitfalls. Because it is an artform accessible to anyone and everyone, the unspoken rules of etiquette may be breached. Because it is so personal, so dependent on community, it can become socially complex, and feelings are easily hurt or disregarded or misunderstood.

It is up to each individual to decide where the problems may outweigh the pleasures. But perhaps, with more open communication and understanding, we can strive to remove as many boundaries to an enjoyable roleplay experience as possible.